Royal ao dai ( ao dai menh phu)

Most elegant and aristocratic of all are the royal ladies of the Nguyen court with their ao menh phu.
This ao dai is made of brocaded, woven silk. It is worn under a long cardigan-like robe. The robe is open from the collar down and made of the same material and with a similar pattern as the dress. With the ao menh phu, the royal ladies often wore a khan dong vanh, a fabric crown-like accessory made of starched brocaded woven silk. It is worn on the head and looks rather like a wide headband. This crown is also called a khan hoang hau (queen's kerchief or queen's scarf). This style of the royal ladies of Hue, the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen dynasty, has become the traditional dress for brides during the marriage ceremony, when the bride becomes of the queen of one man's heart.